"NAIS People of Color Conference Opening" by arvind

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 09:21:47 EST

NAIS (National Association of Independent Schools) POCC (People of Color Conference)
Nov 29-Dec 1, 2007
Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Pat Bassett, president of NAIS opened the conference
3 books that he read before the conference

Difficult Conversations
Courageous Conversations About Race
Fierce Conversations

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Gene Batiste – NAIS Vice President
544 Independent Schools represented for POCC

First POCC - First National Conference for Teachers and Administrators of Color in Independent Schools

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Liz Fernandez, and Rodney Glasgow

- 100 student leaders were trained this morning on peer facilitation to lead student sessions all week
- regional action planning teams
- affinity groups with adults by gender

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Boston City Councilman – Charles C. Yancey
- discussing how many POC activists have come from and through the city of Boston from Malcom X
- official document from City of Boston City Council congratulates the SDLC and it’s organizers for its 14 years of training for indep school students
- Charles C. Yancey, Chuck Turner, Felix Arroyo, Sam Yoon
- 2nd proclamation from City Council to the POCC accepted by Gene Batiste

Fire Marshall just closed the building because too many people are standing in the back. Whoops

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Ira Brown (sp?) introducing opening speaker, Frank Wu, Dean of Wayne State University Law School

I’m not obsessed with race, we all are. Even if we’re not actively thinking about it, we still are thinking about it

I don’t wake up in the morning, get ready for work and think, “I’m an Asian American, here I go”

I’ll have an encounter that will remind me that race is important. I’ll be headed down the sidewalk minding my own business. A kid is walking by, he sees me, he smiles, I know what’s coming next. He strikes a karate pose, he says, ching chong, then he laughs and runs off. I could run after him, collar him and call him a bigot. But I wouldn’t, he’s just a kid. He doesn’t realize how hurtful it is to me.

“You speak English so well. To which I reply, gee thanks, so do you.”

“I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired” – Fannie Lou Hamer

Frank Wu does not think the discussion on diversity will ever be over. It’s not a process, but an outcome. Consider democracy, no matter who you vote for next year, to fulfill your citizenship responsibility and the person next year complains about how we voted 2 years ago, when will this thing be over??? You’ll know they missed an important civics lesson. Similarly lies the work of diversity.

”..we will make good on the promise of a diverse democracy.”

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The Windsor School small chorus is performing “The Light of Day”

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Technorati Tags: Boston, Charles Yancey, city council, education, Frank Wu, Gene Batiste, NAIS, National Association of Independent Schools, People of Color Conference, POCC, Wayne State University

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"NAIS People of Color Conference Opening" by arvind